Wear

As the public becomes more concerned with health, wellness, and reducing the time they sit, companies like Fitbit are capitalizing on this “quantified self.” Activity tracking devices are everywhere you turn. According to a recent investigation by Canalys, over 7 million devices were sold in the first quarter of 2015. What started as a fad has now become a lifestyle change – people want to know how much they move (and sit)!

So – with all those devices out there, how should you go about choosing one that will meet your needs? It can be overwhelming looking at all the functions and features, so it’s best to take time to investigate what works best for your personal needs. There’s no sense in buying a device with a heart rate monitor if you have no plans to use it!

Fitbit boasts that its original Charge and Charge HR were its best-selling fitness trackers to date. Unsurprisingly, then, Fitbit has taken everything that proved popular on the original and used this as a basis for the new Charge 2.

First off, the PurePulse heart rate monitoring of the Charge HR now comes as standard – offering continuous and resting heart rate monitoring – so there’s just one model of Charge 2. This helps bring down the sheer number of Fitbit trackers available, which was beginning to become a little confusing.

Design

Samsung is back with the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier, two traditional-looking smartwatches with classic Swiss design elements.

There’s no functional differences between the two, however, just a different strap design and a slight weight difference: the Frontier comes in at 62g and the Classic weighs just 57g.

Apple’s stainless steel rival may be a lot older than the S3 but it’s still one of the best-looking wearables available. It comes in a standard and sports version (housed in an anodised aluminium case) as well as a couple more luxurious offerings in the form of the Hermés and Edition. You can also get the device in either 42mm or 38mm versions, with the former weighing 50g and the latter coming in at 40g.